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tmathews0330's review
5.0
I had to take this book slow, to use it to explore myself and pull out the very small, subtle remnants of a belief system I've been unraveling and dismantling for some time now. Then I considered what these practices would look like in the very real life I am living now. I don't have the same level of freedom that Sue Monk Kidd has in terms of getting to the middle of the woods or immersing myself in nature. But I can still move forth with ways of hearing my deepest self.
tophat8855's review
5.0
This is a book whose rating will be affected by where you are in your life when you read it. For me, it's exactly what is going through my mind. In fact, I would have a thought and think to myself, "I should write down a couple of paragraphs about that" and then a couple days later, find almost those exact same paragraphs in this book. So yes, it was really speaking to me.
Sue Monk Kidd, after living as a Southern Baptist her whole life, discovered that she needed a connection with the Divine Feminine. To be honest, in that regard, being Mormon isn't all that different than being Southern Baptist with how the church is run and how the scriptures are taught. Maybe Mormons have a leg up since Heavenly Mother is actually an agreed upon concept- except you're not "supposed" to talk about her- which is pretty much the same as not having her around anyway. So I guess it pretty much IS the same as being Southern Baptist in regards to believing in an exalted female being.
Anyway, I enjoyed Kidd's book. I found a lot in common with her- from being born as the first child in a family and regrettably being female. Oh wow. That brought up a lot of memories of being ashamed I had a vulva instead of a penis. My interests and activities definitely took a back seat to the "masculine" things my brother was involved in. Even my wedding was pushed back 3 months because of a soccer tournament. So yes, I related to that. I also related to having very vivid dreams. Anyone who reads my FB statuses knows that- though what you don't know is that the very poignant ones don't make it there. I found it interesting that Kidd also had vivid dreams- she used Jungian analysis on them and her use of symbols in her dreams was interesting. I remember one dream of my own from my freshman year in college that I think I need to re-visit.
I also related to her relationship with her husband, and luckily, I've found a similarly supportive one. I think I'm at the "awakening" stage she write about in the first third of the book, so I read the last 2 sections eagerly- I wanted to see how her story turned out to get an idea of how my story could turn out.
So yes, lots of introspection on my part. Also lots of creative ideas have come to me. I want 2011 to be a year of creation for myself.
I think I'll do a full non-journally review on my MA blog in February. Suffice it to say, this book really spoke to me. If I had read it 10 years ago, it probably would not have.
Sue Monk Kidd, after living as a Southern Baptist her whole life, discovered that she needed a connection with the Divine Feminine. To be honest, in that regard, being Mormon isn't all that different than being Southern Baptist with how the church is run and how the scriptures are taught. Maybe Mormons have a leg up since Heavenly Mother is actually an agreed upon concept- except you're not "supposed" to talk about her- which is pretty much the same as not having her around anyway. So I guess it pretty much IS the same as being Southern Baptist in regards to believing in an exalted female being.
Anyway, I enjoyed Kidd's book. I found a lot in common with her- from being born as the first child in a family and regrettably being female. Oh wow. That brought up a lot of memories of being ashamed I had a vulva instead of a penis. My interests and activities definitely took a back seat to the "masculine" things my brother was involved in. Even my wedding was pushed back 3 months because of a soccer tournament. So yes, I related to that. I also related to having very vivid dreams. Anyone who reads my FB statuses knows that- though what you don't know is that the very poignant ones don't make it there. I found it interesting that Kidd also had vivid dreams- she used Jungian analysis on them and her use of symbols in her dreams was interesting. I remember one dream of my own from my freshman year in college that I think I need to re-visit.
I also related to her relationship with her husband, and luckily, I've found a similarly supportive one. I think I'm at the "awakening" stage she write about in the first third of the book, so I read the last 2 sections eagerly- I wanted to see how her story turned out to get an idea of how my story could turn out.
So yes, lots of introspection on my part. Also lots of creative ideas have come to me. I want 2011 to be a year of creation for myself.
I think I'll do a full non-journally review on my MA blog in February. Suffice it to say, this book really spoke to me. If I had read it 10 years ago, it probably would not have.
jenpost78's review
4.0
It was difficult for me to rate this book. Parts of it made me cry and there were sections I read more than once and shared with my husband. Other parts, I could hardly stand to read. I was irritated at times and bored at others.
christinajcraig's review
I got through about half of this book but was not resonating with the long-winded prose. I think this could be a really great book for women in midlife or later with strong ties to Christianity.
jennicajackson's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
chloekg's review
5.0
As a woman crippled by Christian patriarchy, it is wholesome to see someone how someone escapes. Sue Monk Kidd rebuts religious and societal traumas with history and practices for healing. The prose is lovely. The content is where it shines.
mfraise05's review
4.0
This is the first book I read on women's spirituality and, to say the least, I was floored. I didn't know other women felt as betrayed by Christianity as I did and I'm so glad she put it in writing. Although I can't take the seemingly expensive and extensive spiritual trips she takes or agree with every spiritual conclusion she reaches, I am grateful that Kidd decided to share her journey with me. I encourage all women to read it and take from it what's true for them and leave the rest.
aubtobobtolob's review
4.0
I appreciated the concept of "waking up" a lovely book to help those whose lives change spiritually in a huge way.
tlctbr's review
5.0
This story was so familiar to me and felt so aligned with what I’ve experienced with religion throughout life. The writing is beautiful and I loved the message. It felt especially poignant to read it right after reading The Book of Longings.